


Broken Halos

by brittyelaine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because Jack and Cas and Everyone Deserve Happiness, Canon Compliant, Dean Winchester and Feelings, Episode Related, Episode: s13e06 Tombstone, Fluff, M/M, Song Lyrics, Stargazing, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 08:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12767439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brittyelaine/pseuds/brittyelaine
Summary: They’re quiet for a few minutes, and Dean shifts in his seat. He’s having déjà vu – that beer run he took with Cas after the Lucifer debacle. This time, it’s different. This time, Dean’s given up on being a coward. “You know this isn’t a beer run, right?” he asks, daring a glance in Cas’s direction. He’s thankful for the clear back roads this time of night, because his gaze lingers on Cas’s profile. It’s a sight to behold. He watches with wonder as Cas licks his lips, and he wants so badly to kiss them.





	Broken Halos

**Author's Note:**

> That episode gave me life. But Jack is a precious bean and he deserves all the happiness, as do Dean and Cas. So we're veering off a little, and all ended well for them. Enjoy!

Dean’s on a high when they make it back to the bunker. He’d made the three-and-a-half hour drive from Dodge City in just under three. Cowboys and a successful hunt and Cas, and Dean can’t stop smiling. Sam and Jack hole up in the library, Jack eager to start the next ‘Star Wars,’ and Sam’s more than happy to oblige. Cas stands awkwardly between those two huddled around Sam’s laptop and Dean, hovering in the archway. “I’m, uh,” Dean clears his throat. “I’m gonna make a beer run.” He licks his lips and meets Cas’s eyes. “You wanna…” he nods in the direction of the door, and he’s surprised at how quickly Cas picks up his meaning. _He’s learning,_ Dean thinks, an endearing smile creeping across his features. 

“Yeah, sure, Dean,” Sam says, glancing up with a knowing smile. “Take your time.”

Dean tries hard not to roll his eyes as he heads for the door, Cas at his heels. 

The weather in Kansas can be finicky, at best. But fall has always been Dean’s favorite. The landscape isn’t much to look at, but the weather is perfect. It’s cool and crisp; makes him feel alive. And on nights like this – clear, stars shining, the moon casting a soft glow over the land – there’s nothing quite like it. The best part about tonight isn’t the weather or the night sky. It’s something tangible. Some _one._ Cas.

They’re quiet for a few minutes, and Dean shifts in his seat. He’s having déjà vu – that beer run he took with Cas after the Lucifer debacle. This time, it’s different. This time, Dean’s given up on being a coward. “You know this isn’t a beer run, right?” he asks, daring a glance in Cas’s direction. He’s thankful for the clear back roads this time of night, because his gaze lingers on Cas’s profile. It’s a sight to behold. He watches with wonder as Cas licks his lips, and he wants so badly to kiss them. 

“I had hoped,” Cas says. He turns to look at Dean and when their eyes meet, Dean inhales sharply. He’s crestfallen when he has to turn his attention back to the road. 

Dean flips on the radio and flips through a couple of stations. Religions chatter. Relationship advice. Some godawful pop song he’s sure he’d secretly like if he was by himself. The ending bars of ‘Master of Puppets’ followed by a commercial about a mattress sale. Finally, after a few more seconds of static, he lands on a clear station.

_“…to shine_

_Angels come down from the heavens_

_Just to help us on our way…”_

He grins, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. He’s loath to admit he knows all the words by heart. He first heard it not long after. And something in the words hit him right in the chest. He’s quiet at first, singing along. He feels Cas’s eyes on his face, and he can’t help smiling. “ _Come to teach us, then they leave us… And they find some other soul to save._ ” His voice grows louder, and he’s out of key, but Cas doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he’s smiling. And anything that makes Cas smile is a win in Dean’s book. He turns the Impala down a dirt road and glances at Cas, singing louder. “ _Seen my share of broken halos. Folded wings that used to fly. They’ve all gone wherever they go. Broken halos that used to shine…_ ”

He puts Baby in park and slings his arm across the back of the seat, leaning closer to Cas. His voice drops, soft and reverent. “ _Broken halos that used to shine._ ” 

They’re close, and Dean’s eyes drift over Cas’s face. He licks his lips and lets his hand slip from the seat to the back of Cas’s neck, thumb smoothing over the spot behind Cas’s ear. “I don’t know if I’m ever gonna stop telling you how happy I am to have you back, Cas.” He watches as Cas sucks his bottom lip between his teeth. Dean _wants_ so badly.

“I’m happy to be back,” Cas says, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Dean that Cas’s eyes drift to his lips. “I’m happy to be here. With you, Dean.”

Dean leans in, his forehead bumping against Cas’s. He closes his eyes and they just breathe for a moment. Savoring each other. Breathing each other in. “Damn it, Cas,” he whispers. He draws a cleansing breath and exhales, forcing himself to pull away. He brought Cas here for a reason, and if he doesn’t pull back now, they’re never going to make it out of the car. “C’mon.” He doesn’t wait for a response before he climbs out, the door squeaking in quiet night. Cas joins him, following Dean’s lead as they round the front end.

“What are we doing here?” Cas asks.

Dean slides onto the hood and pats the seat beside him. Cas is inquisitive, but he doesn’t say a word as he joins Dean. The car dips beneath the weight of two grown men, but Dean pays it no mind. “I do this sometimes,” he says, leaning in to Cas. It’s nice, feeling him there, real and solid against him. “I come out here to clear my head. Just look up at the stars.”

“It’s comforting to you.” It’s not a question. Cas knows him so well.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

Dean shifts, reaching up to cradle the back of Cas’s head. His hair is soft against Dean’s fingers, and he finds himself excited at the prospect of running them through it whenever he wants. “Cas, look. I… I ain’t one for feeling’, but I gotta say, man, I… Hang on.” He fishes his phone out of his pocket and swipes at it.

The music starts, and he turns, stretching to set his phone on the hood. ‘ _Seen my share of broken halos…_ ’ He sits up, returning his hand to Cas’s hair. He can’t get enough of it. “When I first met you, you were here for a purpose. You were… guiding me, or whatever, toward the endgame. You were the quarterback and I was your running back.”

“I’m not sure what football—“

‘ _…Come to teach us, then they leave us  
And they find some other soul to save…_ ’

“Just—just lemme finish. You were supposed to follow orders and I was bad news, apparently, and they kept tryin’ to take you away. Tryin’ to make you serve your purpose elsewhere. But you always came back, Cas. You always came back to me.”

Dean’s throat feels tight, and he swallows hard. Tears sting his eyes, despite his insistence he wasn’t going to cry. “I felt broken without you, man. When I saw those wing marks and your broken halo, somethin’ in me broke, too.” Cas shifts, turning toward Dean. “But the minute I saw you… it was like, I dunno, like I was fixed. Like I was whole again.”

Cas’s hand settles on Dean’s cheek and he closes his eyes, leaning into the touch. It’s so gentle and reverent and Dean’s heart swells. “In The Symposium,” he begins, and the gentleness of his voice sends shivers through Dean. “Plato said that According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”

Dean swallows, and Cas leans in. “You, Dean. You are my other half. And we will always find our way back to one another.”

“A profound bond.” Dean huffs a laugh and cradles Cas’s face, pulling him into a soft, languid kiss. It’s a re-acquaintance after what feels like an eternity of despair. It’s finally taking the time for what they’ve both wanted — needed — for so very long.

‘ _Broken halo that used to shine…_ ’

They part as the music fades, and Dean pulls Cas with him as he lays back, settling on the windshield. He settles a hand behind his head and keeps an arm around Cas. 

They don’t move from that spot until morning. Cas spends the fleeting hours of bright stars telling Dean the stories of the constellations. Dean spends those hours thanking whatever cosmic beings there are in the universe for sending Cas to him. Whatever it took, whatever heartbreak he’s endured, whatever broken halos he’s seen, it brought him here.

It brought him to the stars with Cas in his arms, and for that, he will always be indebted to the cosmos.

**Author's Note:**

> Song: [[Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton]](https://youtu.be/sI0TeFf6uD8)
> 
> Come hang out with me on [Tumblr](http://brittywritesstuff.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Prompt from [My lovely friend, Allie](http://deanmonsandangels.tumblr.com)


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